A Man Of Honour — Senator John McCain

Posted on by under Political commentary, Social commentary

When I heard on Monday that John McCain would be returning to Washington for Tuesday’s vote on the Senate health care bill, I was surprised, to say the least.  Having just been diagnosed with a particularly virulent form of brain cancer, and still recovering from surgery to remove a blood clot from over his eye, I thought the last thing he would do was come back at that time … for a single vote.  As I pondered why he would, at such a difficult time, come back to work to cast a single vote, I sensed there was more to this than met the eye.

Meanwhile, once it was announced that he would return for the critical vote, people made assumptions and began spouting their mouths before thinking, and I was disturbed by some of the comments I saw both on mainstream and social media.  I saw him called a POS (piece of sh**) and worse.  I even saw a few that said they were glad he had cancer.  These were people who, like myself, opposed the inhumane health care bill that was on the Senate floor, and I could understand their frustration, but was disappointed in their lack of humanity under the circumstances.

McCain did return, and voted on Tuesday to open debate on repealing ACA (Obamacare).  The vote was not, as some apparently believed, a vote to pass the bill, but merely to open debate on the Senate floor.  In the back of my mind, I had a seed of doubt that he would actually vote for the bill itself, but merely felt it needed to be debated, as the specifics of the bill had been largely kept secret even from most senators.  Meanwhile, the hostility from the masses grew more vile.  For once in my life, I kept my mouth shut and adopted a “let’s wait and see” attitude. I did not discuss it with either family or friends, for I thought I knew what was about to happen, but I could not be sure.

The bill, then open to debate, would repeal large pieces of ACA without a replacement and would, by Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates leave as many as 32 million people unable to afford health insurance.  Although we were told a viable replacement would be forthcoming at some point in the future, there was no guarantee, and no word as to how far into the future.

Senator Susan Collins of Maine, and Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska had made clear their intention to cast “nay” votes, so for the republicans, McCain’s support was crucial, but uncertain.  The bill was debated, if one can call it that.  McCain was coerced from many, including numerous senators, VP Pence, and even Speaker of the House Paul Ryan tried to assure McCain that he would steer the House toward a conference committee with the Senate.  McCain also received a phone call from Donald Trump at some point on Thursday.

And so, in the wee hours of Friday morning, the bill finally came up for a vote.  So sure were the republicans that they had convinced Senator McCain, that Mike Pence was on hand, fully planning to cast the tie-breaking vote.  Imagine, if you will, the surprise on the faces of some 49 republican senators when Senator John McCain, when called on for his vote, simply gave a thumbs-down signal.  And the bill that would have hurt so many in order to benefit a select few was officially, as of 1:30 a.m. on Friday morning … dead.

“I thought it was the right vote,” McCain told reporters as he left the Capitol. “I do my job as a senator.”

As I said in a previous post, I have not always agreed with John McCain, but I always thought he voted his conscience, which is a lot more than can be said for so many on both sides of the congressional aisle.

McCain will return to Arizona this weekend to begin treatment for his cancer, and it is not yet known when or even if he will return to the senate.  He came to town this week to review a bill and cast his vote for what he believed was best.  He achieved that goal.  He is an honourable man, and I hope … I sincerely hope that those who, without thinking, publicly accused him of treachery, will be as honourable and just as publicly tender an apology for their misspoken words.  We The People, and I certainly include myself in this, need to learn to think before we speak, else we are destined to lose not only our credibility, but also our right to be heard. Think about it.

81 thoughts on “A Man Of Honour — Senator John McCain”

  1. I wonder if they’ll try to find a way to exclude him from future votes based on his medical issues. That may not be possible — I don’t know the rules and stuff that well — but I bet the idea was floated.

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    • I have my doubts whether he will ever return to the Senate full-time. His opponent from the last election had the gall to, the day after he found he has cancer, ask him to step down and let her take over! But truthfully, his cancer is almost inevitably terminal, with an average 16 month survival rate, so it would not surprise me if he doesn’t come back. But to your question … I don’t know … they may, if they feel that he won’t vote with them, but … I doubt it, for he is well-respected by most. Plus, after Trump’s latest series of rants against Congress, they are fairly disgusted with him and are beginning to work together in a few bi-partisan efforts, so this could end up being a very good thing!

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  2. Dear Jill,
    I love the way John McCain handled this. He kept telling the leadership that he wouldn’t vote for the bill as it stood at the time of the vote. And he didn’t trust that the bill wouldn’t end up being passed and the promise of a conference just being a ruse.. I watched the whole thing go down, with all the delays.It was close to 1:30 am when he came out on the floor and gave the thumbs down sign and shouted no..Senator McConnell was in shock. VP Pense was set to cast the tie-breaking vote.

    But Senator McCain did the right thing and he gave the finger (figuratively) to you know who.He backed up the two brave republican Senators, Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins who kept saying no..
    DDT may not recognize Senator McCain as a hero, but there are millions of folks who do.
    Hugs, Gronda

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  3. Senators Collins and Murkowski also deserve hero’s accolades! Being women their vulnerability to pressure from “the party” is even greater than that facing the male Republican members of Congress. The shame and pity here is that it was ONLY these three Senators that mustered the nerve and stamina to dissent. The others are scared to death of Trump and the Party….they have everything to lose and nothing to gain by defying the GOP thugs. John McCain is indeed heroic…and casting this important vote speaks very well of him. This Senate event might well be McCain’s political swan song, and my hat is off to him. However…the two women Senators would have voted against the repeal of the ACA regardless … just sayin’

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    • I absolutely agree that Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski deserve a standing ovation! They have shown remarkable courage in standing by their convictions, standing up to the big bully in the White House, but also all his minions. Zinke’s phone call to Murkowski and Dan Sullivan was beyond abominable. I’m with you, I am disappointed in the rest of the GOP, but not surprised. I am more surprised that they were able to come together to prevent Trump from lifting the sanctions on Russia. I would certainly love to see more of that!

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  5. I would have thought having part of your brain removed would move you toward the Trump camp (too soon?). I was glad to see McCain and the other republican senators come to their senses on this. Trump is blaming them, but I know he owns mirrors, he should look in one for the culprit.

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    • Yes, he is indeed his own worst enemy, but he will never see that, no matter how many mirrors he looks into, for he is seemingly convinced that he is as great as he says he is. Really, the rest of us are only put here for his benefit, y’know?

      Now, about those mirrors … can you imagine waking every morning and having to look at that??? His mug is so ugly it would give small children nightmares … heck, it gives ME nightmares! Sorry for the snarky … just couldn’t resist. 😀

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    • Yes, and I think there are others too, but they are overshadowed by the greedy, pandering ones who have forgotten who they represent. McCain was captured after his plane went down in Vietnam, and was held captive for over 5 years, being frequently tortured. Then last year, during the presidential campaigns, Trump made the very public statement that McCain was not a hero, because he was captured and Trump wanted heroes who weren’t captured. Most of us with consciences were appalled by that, and I think that were it not for his cancer, McCain could keep on being re-elected until death.

      Hugs Jack!!! ❤

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  8. Finally, we had some “profiles in courage”. Those who misjudged Sen. McCain weren’t listening when he said he couldn’t vote for the bill in the form it was in. Are some of us so used to hearing the trash talk coming from the White House these days we’ve adopted the same style? How quickly damage has been done to our so-called U.S. civilization. It was a thin veneer indeed. All the cowardly, poisonous ooze hiding under rocks has surfaced. Only Sen. McCain and those close to him know how much it cost him to go to Washington in his condition. He’s more than a war hero. He’s a hero period. —- Suzanne

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    • I think you are right … we are becoming inured to the trash talk, AND … we immediately make assumptions based on whether there is an (R) or a (D) attached to the persons name/title. Politics has always been partisan, but THIS is ridiculous! We are all humans … well, most of us anyway 🙂

      And yes, I’m sure he was exhausted by the time he arrived back home, but I think he did what he felt he had to, and I’m sure he paid a price. Personally, I believe I will write him a thank-you letter.

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  9. Well said Jill
    Here is a man of True Dignity and Courage. You can argue with him over his beliefs and disagree like fury over some things he says, but that does not mean you cannot admire and salute his character.
    As for those who apparently are liberal or radical who have posted vile comments concerning his health; I have a message for them:
    “Hey guys. You got the president you deserve. Just amble over to the Whitehouse, you’ll get on fine with the folks there. They speak your language,”

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    • Indeed they did get what they deserve in Trump. However…almost to a man (er…person) these people opposed Trump until the last dog was hung, but except for Ohio Gov. Kasich and maybe a couple others…they all bow to the sound of the trumpet. Also noteworthy is Senator Lindsey Graham, who although apparently he voted “yay” like a dutiful Republican lad…is nevertheless leading the senatorial charge against Trump. Sometimes ya just gotta vote the way yer told…..

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      • I am still puzzling how both chambers came together in a bi-partisan effort to unanimously pass the bill to keep Trump from lifting sanctions against Russia, yet they cannot come together on anything else. Hopefully Lindsey Graham’s latest proposal to keep Trump from firing Mueller will be passed in the same manner as the sanctions bill, but I’m not confident of it.

        How is the kitten doing? Alice, is it?

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              • I know how hard it is … I have been there. I lost a couple trying to rescue them as tiny, tiny babes, but I did have one success … I bottle fed him every two hours, even running home from work (luckily I lived close) to feed him, and slowly he began to grow … I cried every day, thinking there was no way this little guy could live … but he did. It’s tough anytime we lose the battle, but don’t give it up. All 7 of ours are rescue kitties … one is blind, one has the feline equivalent of Downs Syndrome, and one has only 3 legs, but … they survived. Don’t mind me … I am rambling through my tears for Alice and for you … hugs, my friend.

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                • my soninlaw next door raised four kittens from almost birth…their teenage mom took off, and he found them in the downpouring rain. He fed them all with eye droppers then a little bottle, and they thrived and are now adults. My Moby had been abandoned, and the same SIL saw him and conned me into catching him. Moby crawled out of the recesses of the barn and I took him to the vet, who held him in one hand and said “the others (cats) might want to be nice to him, he’s going to be a BIG boy. He is an enormous Maine Coon, about 16 years old. Tinkerbell is nearing 20, and right now seems to be failing. Baby is the one with tumbling-kitten syndrome, her mom is Peggy, who is an outside cat with apparently a genetic malfunction; all of her several kittens had the condition, so she had to be fixed.

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                  • Wow … you have a lot of experience with rescue kitties, as do we. We sadly lost two a year or so ago, both to old age and a number of health problems. It is sad when they get old and you can see them going downhill. Our Orange is only 16, but is diabetic, and he is, I believe, on his last legs. It’s interesting that in the last couple of months he has become so clingy … he wants to be in somebody’s lap almost constantly. He still has a good appetite, though, so I just don’t know. I have to ask about ‘tumbling-kitten’ syndrome, for I have never heard of it and a quick Google search did not yield any results … so what is tumbling-kitten syndrome?

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                    • https://lifewithchcats.com/what-is-cerebellar-hypoplasia/ Baby has cerebellar hypoplasia…I couldn’t think of it earlier. She walks well, runs and plays, walks with a gait like a horse. Her sister kitten never reached the point where she could stand long enough to take more than a step or two. The CH kits tumble and somersault, cannot walk, but “swim” sort of. It is hereditary I think, Peggy had two sets of kittens that were badly afflicted, then Baby and her Sis came along. Baby is a sweetheart. She’s the black and white. The URL is pretty good, I’ve read accounts of people building various postheses… little wheelchair things etc. haha

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                    • Thanks for sharing that website … very good information. I had never heard of that before. I especially liked that they said “what they lack in coordination they make up in personality.” Your sweet Baby is an example of that!

                      We actually considered a wheelchair-type device when our Tofu lost his rear leg, but fortunately he learned to get along just fine on three legs! They are, I think, more resilient in some ways than we are! And they certainly don’t whine as much as humans! 😀 Thanks again for the info … hugs to Baby!

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                    • I love it! Baby is a very happy cat, always playing and running around. Even Tinkerbell likes Baby…and Tink is not fond of kittens in general. Baby’s balance is off, and often misses her intended destination…once she miscalculated and jumped ON Tinky….oooh…not good, except ink just uttered a gentle rebuke. Baby will run outside if the door is open, always with me right behind her…she is teasing, and runs right back in.

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      • Very true.
        And sometimes you vote the way they want you to vote, so that they won’t see ‘IT’ coming.
        LBJ would have chewed this lot up and spat them out over a coffee break.
        Regan would have had their heads in such a spin agreeing with him because he was ‘such a nice’ guy.
        And Nixon…. they’d be mere target practice.(although he’d have probably gone completely vindictive and not known when to stop- not that I’d personally have stopped him)

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    • You are quite right, my friend. He is a hero, and a few had the courtesy to step back and revise their comments. But now … now, the republicans are bashing him for his ‘nay’ vote. Have we no common decency anymore? And the really funny (dark humour as it were) is that the people, including a couple of my friends, who are bashing him for his vote against the disastrous ‘health care’ bill, are among those who would have almost certainly lost their insurance had the bill passed! ‘Splain that one! Isn’t that rather like being mad at somebody for NOT chopping your head off?

      I tried to do funny while writing tomorrow morning’s post earlier, but … while my original idea seemed funny at the time, I am not sure the result was. But I tried … 😀

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  10. Jill, the brave helped Americans and actually saved the Republican Party from itself. The bills put forth were horrific in design and impact. But, McCain noted, they did not follow normal process to develop good legislation. I do think a final straw for McCain was when the President tried to blackmail the state of Alaska to get Senator Lisa Murkowski to change her vote. My guess is, knowing McCain, he took great delight in telling the President no.

    By the way, Murkowski should send a note to “Aaron Burr solution” man and say “bang.” Keith

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    • I agree … we all owe John McCain a huge “Thank You!” And I like your idea for Lisa Murkowski … Zinke, who I am sure was operating under Trump’s orders, made it sound as if Alaska wasn’t even a part of the nation, that we were just doing them a favour letting them hang out with us! Sheesh!!!

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  11. Sometimes, when faced with possibility of ‘death,’ a person re evaluates their life, their actions, and their responsibility.
    To face death, people often learn what it means to be alive.
    I believe Senator John McCain may just have found his humanity…and that makes a person very strong, even in the face of battling death.
    I am proud of his bravery to try to ‘put things right!’
    ❤

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  12. Gotta say – it was good to see one of those old white guys grow a pair – of boobs! Yay to Senator Susan Collins and Senator Lisa Murkowski for being steadfast and refusing to be bullied!!

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    • Indeed … times of trouble seem to bring out the strength and courage that we didn’t even know we had. And on the flip side, it can bring out the worst in others, as we see on a near-daily basis. :/

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